FOREIGN office officials were today speaking to a Midland man facing the death sentence in Thailand after he was charged with smuggling hard drugs.

Mark Freely, aged 45, who is believed to originally come from Birmingham, was arrested on Christmas Day and the authorities seized more than a kilo of cocaine.

The authorities today revealed they had been watching the former bar owner for some time in the resort town of Pattaya.

Four other Britons Jack Dean, 40, Lee Spence, 37, Nicholas Millburn, 26, and Nicola Allan, 34, all from London, were remanded on bail on suspicion of using cocaine.

Police Lt Col Theerasak Charoensri said that the arrest took take place after a long investigation which led officers to believe that Mr Freely, who has lived in Pattaya for about one year, had been selling the drug to users in the area.

Police said they raided Mr Freely's apartment in Pattaya after receiving a tip-off and found small amounts of cocaine.

Mr Freely was later led to a safety deposit box at an office in Bokaew Road, Pattaya, where 60 bags of cocaine were said to have been discovered.

If convicted, Freely will face the death sentence - but normally the sentence is reduced to life in the case of westerners arrested on serious drugs charges, which means 99 years in jail.

Thailand launched a war on drugs three years ago in a bid to crack down hard on the problem and enforcement measures are severe.

Until 2003 those found guilty could be shot by firing squad. Now they can be put to death by lethal injection.

A Foreign Office spokesman said they had been in touch with Mr Freely's relations and were giving them regular updates.

Pattaya, 65 miles south-east of Bangkok, is a haven for foreign criminal gangs, according to reports.

It is one of Thailand's best-known holiday resorts and hugely popular with young people who travel for its uninhibited nightlife.

Its beaches offer a variety of water sports by day, but at night it becomes alive with karaoke bars, restaurants and adult cabaret shows. ..SUPL: